Braves Celebrate Most Successful Baseball Season

GLADSTONE---It was an emotional night in the Gladstone High School Monday as the baseball team celebrated the most successful season in the six year history of the program. The Braves won a school record 32 games and made it to the Division Three state semifinals before losing last week to Madison Heights Bishop Foley.

The team's Division Three All-Stater, Clay Cole, was honored during Monday night's party. Also honored: pitchers Jared Crow and Carson Shea. Both of whom were presented picture frames with the line-up cards from their big pitching wins over Traverse City St. Francis (regional final) and Standish-Sterling (state quarterfinal).

Shea was also given the team's Most Improved Player award.

Braves Manager Don Lauscher was emotional, choking back tears throughout much of the evening program. He is retiring because of health reasons after starting the Gladstone program six years ago and 11 years of varsity baseball coaching.

Lauscher is an avid bobblehead collector, so the kids chipped in and had a bobblehead professionally made...of Lauscher, standing as he often did, with his arms folded.

After receiving the gift, Lauscher could not hold back the tears, and neither could his four seniors: Braeden Lamberg, Owen Hanson, Cole, and Lucas Weinert.

Lauscher leaves coaching with a 288-57-1 record in his eleven years with the Braves, and before that, the Eskymos. He coached Little League, American Legion, and high school baseball for 25 years.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos, video clips from Monday night's party.